UCSB Feminist Studies Professor Accused of Attacking 16 Year Old During Pro-Life Demonstration

12 Mar 2014

A pro-life demonstration at the University of CA Santa Barbara reportedly turned violent when a Feminist Studies Professor allegedly stole a sign from a group of pro life demonstratorsand later attacked and scratched the 16 year old girl who was attempting to retrieve it.

The pro life activists, along with 11 friends, mostly Thomas Aquinas College students, had displayed three signs with images of abortion victims in the campus free speech zone, distributed pro-life pamphlets and invited passing students to talk . Soon after setting up, an African American woman, later identified as Professor Mireille Miller-Young, reportedly began shouting pro-abortion slogans at the group, inciting a small mob to form around them. Miller-Young is a professor of Feminist Studies whose emphasis is black cultural studies, pornography, and sex work.

Professor Young continued to shout without letting anyone answer her questions or arguments. She quickly gathered a crowd of about fifteen students. The student Thrin had been talking with joined the crowd. Whenever Young paused for breath, one of her crowd would produce a pro-abortion slogan, but when Joan, Thrin, or any of their friends tried to answer, Young started shouting again. She led her crowd in chanting: “Tear down the sign, tear down the sign!”

When the chant faded, Joan and Thrin each drew a student from the crowd into a one on one conversation, trying to break the mob mentality. Clearly frustrated, Professor Young shouted, “They’re trying to separate us, don’t talk to them.” Joan, Thrin, and their friends calmly continued their conversations until they heard a general shout and turned to see that Young, in an attempt to regain the students’ attention, had grabbed the sign out of Sarah’s hand. Clare, another friend of Joan’s, managed to grab it, too, but Joan told her to let go in order to avoid a wrestling match.

Professor Young’s mob dwindled after she stole the sign. She paraded across the campus with two female students carrying the sign. Joan and Thrin followed, Thrin video-taping and Joan on the phone with the police.

The parade weaved through two buildings and entered an elevator in the third. Thrin attempted to get on the elevator with them, but Young blocked the doorway. Thrin stuck her foot in the door, but Young pushed it out with her foot. Tenaciously Thrin put it back. This happened several times as Thrin pleaded with the students to not get involved. “The police are on their way,” she told them, “you don’t want to be with Professor Young.”

Suddenly Young reached out and pushed 16 year old Thrin. “Don’t touch me!” Thrin cried, startled. Young’s long fingernails scratched Thrin’s arm. Young pushed Thrin twice more and each time Thrin kept the door from closing with her arm. Finally, Young got out of the elevator, and tried to pull Thrin away from the elevator door. Thrin held onto the elevator with her other hand, the one holding the camera. Realizing that students were trying to take the camera out of her hand, Thrin let go of the elevator.